Saved by the Big Bad Wolf: A Darkhills Romance Read online

  “I am Cayden Greystone, formally of the Greystone pack.” Cayden called out, not once taking his eyes from the pathetic wolf stood in front of him. The murmur from the crowd at the mention of his name didn’t go unnoticed by him. “I challenge for Alpha to give the female Rose Woods her freedom and to give the Darkhills pack its freedom from this poor excuse of a wolf.”

  The murmuring crowd grew louder, and he heard a few voices make cautious remarks in his favour. They were fearful still of the Beta. He would show them he wasn’t worth fearing.

  “This is ridiculous.” Russell stammered as he walked backwards, “It’s too late. The moon is high.”

  “I understood that it be entirely possible for a wolf to challenge for Alpha status at any time.” Lucian corrected in his usual condescending tone as he walked up behind Cayden.

  “The challenge is valid.” The elder confirmed.

  “This wolf is not welcome in the Darkhills.” Russell spoke to the crowd, “And who even is this guy? Humans are not permitted at ceremonies.”

  “I’d remember your manners if I were you, and I believe you invited him.” Cayden replied curtly, “Lord Lucian Nightingale, meet the Darkhills Beta.”

  “Charmed I’m sure.” Lucian waved a dismissive hand and glided towards Rose who stood as a soft pink blur in his peripherals. He didn’t trust himself to look at her yet, and he didn’t trust Russell not to try anything underhand, so he kept his focus. But he could scent her relief and he could hear her wolf calling out to him in greeting.

  Yes, my love, I’m here.

  “My dear, I believe it would be better if you were to retreat to a safer distance.” Lucian held out arm for Rose to take.

  “I’d rather stay here and watch him go down.” She gritted out, turning her furious eyes back to Russell.

  Oh, that was so much like his mate, not scared of a little fight, keen to see justice done.

  Lucian chuckled.

  “You’ll have a better view from over here.” He gently guided her towards the tree line where Cayden heard her friends rushing to greet her.

  “Russell Drayton, do you accept the challenge?” The elder called out to the hushed crowd.

  “Of course, I don’t accept it, it’s ludicrous. Since when were criminals permitted to challenge?” Russell blustered.

  “So, you yield?” The elder questioned.

  “No, I do not yield. This pack belongs to me, I have spent the last ten years waiting for my turn, no one is going to take it from me.” Russell barked out.

  “The challenge is accepted then,” the elder called out, “Darkhills, the laws of a challenge dictate that each wolf must have a second. Should a contender be unable continue, their second is permitted to fight in their stead. Wolves, please ask your seconds to come forward now.”

  A tremor of doubt coursed through Cayden. Who did he have here that would vouch for him enough to fight by his side? Russell fixed him with a knowing look, as if he were about to enjoy seeing him humiliated.

  “I call Taymour Moss as my second.” Russell called out smugly, his Beta influence filtered through the air at his announcement.

  While using influence during a fight was permitted it was expected that it would be used during the fight, often to finally subdue an opponent.

  A huge beast of a man reluctantly strode forward to stand behind Russell. He was broad and his biceps strained beneath his shirt. The man clearly didn’t feel comfortable with being called forward but had been summoned by his Beta’s influence, so had submitted.

  Cayden wouldn’t force a wolf to fight for him. He was confident he could easily take down the other wolf without a second but if needed, he would ask Lucian to step in. He wasn’t sure if asking another paranormal creature to act as second was permitted. He didn’t think it had ever happened before.

  With every passing second, his hopes of having a wolf from the Darkhills pack volunteer as his second, began to dwindle.

  “I second this wolf.” Rose’s voice called out into the clearing.

  “Rose, No.” The words left Cayden’s mouth on instinct.

  “Females are not permitted to enter an Alpha challenge.” Russell sneered.

  “I’m afraid he is right my dear, though your bravery is admirable. Your grandparents would be proud.” The elder confirmed, his eyes softening as he spoke to her.

  “Never mind, my dear.” Lucian gently placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her back a step, “Besides, your mate would most likely have my head if I were to let anything happen to you.”

  He’s not wrong, thought Cayden.

  “I will second this wolf.”

  Cayden turned in surprise to see Clint striding forward.

  “And I’ll fight for the same reasons, for Rose’s freedom and for the freedom of the pack. Cayden Greystone is exactly the kind of wolf that Darkhills needs.” He stood by Cayden’s side and nodded his allegiance, “And also because Russell is an asshole.” He added with a wink.

  Cayden smirked. The warmth that radiated from his chest was unexpected. He had come to challenge with the aim of saving Rose and then abdicating, like he had before. He never expected to find loyalty and acceptance. He had always thought he would never be worthy of such things.

  “Let me know if you need a third!” the voice of Nate rang out from the crowd, followed by rumbles of agreement from numerous other wolves.

  Russell growled his annoyance.

  “There is no such thing as ‘Thirds’ Nathaniel, though I’m sure your willingness is appreciated.” The elder replied sternly, hiding a slight smirk.

  “Seconds, take your place at the edge of the circle.” The elder continued, “Contenders, prepare yourselves.”

  Russell skulked off towards the tree line and began hopping and shuffling out of his clothes, fussing with them before hurriedly shifting into a lean and hungry looking russet coloured wolf.

  Cayden kept his eyes on his opponent as he kicked off his boots and, pulled his shirt off over his head. He eyed the other wolf as it trotted its way into the clearing, assessing it for its potential strengths and weaknesses.

  He shifted, leaving his clothes in a pile at the edge of the clearing. And tried to ignore the murmurs of approval as his huge ebony black animal paced slowly into the centre. His wolf was a formidable sight.

  The elder stood at the centre of the ring and held up his wrinkled hands for silence.

  “Wolves, you are here to fight for the status of Alpha of the Darkhills pack. Fights to the death are permitted, but to be avoided. A beaten wolf should yield when they are unable to fight any longer. The challenge will continue until a winner is declared.”

  Russell’s wolf’s eyes shifted nervously around as he faced off with Cayden. He understood why. He was an average sized wolf with little muscle. Cayden was almost twice his size and kept his body honed. Despite potentially having the home crowd behind him, the odds were not stacked in the Beta’s favour and he knew it.

  “Let the challenge commence.” The elder announced.

  Before the man had a chance to step away, Russell launched himself at the elder, using his head to knock the man down in front of Cayden’s wolf, before retreating to the far edges of the ring to stalk around him.

  The horrified gasp of the crowd echoed throughout the clearing. Cayden cursed as he bent his head low and sniffed at the old man. He wasn’t badly injured, more shocked by the fiendish wolf’s actions. No others were permitted to enter the circle while the challenge took place. Cayden needed to see elderly man to safety before he could take care of his opponent.

  With gentle nudges, he lifted the old man, encouraging him to lean his weight over Cayden’s body, and with steady steps he carried him over to the crowd. The pack applauded and cheered him as he came closer, the elder breathing heavily in his ear as he lumbered on.

  “Thank you, son.” The elder wheezed as he was gathered up into the arms of his pack.

  Cayden didn’t have a chance to respond as Russell’s wolf
launched at his hind legs, biting down. A snarl ripped from Cayden’s throat and he spun around and snapped at the russet coloured wolf. He released his hold immediately and tried to retreat, but Cayden was too fast and within a few a long strides, he pounced on his back.

  The wolf whined as Cayden’s claws dug into his flesh. He fell to the ground and rolled, taking Cayden’s wolf with him. The two wrestled and clawed at each other in the dirt for a moment before Cayden’s wolf claimed the upper hand and with his heavy paw pressed against Russell’s throat, he growled down at him, his teeth bared in warning.

  They stayed like that for a minute, before Russell’s wolf looked away in submission.

  A cheer went up from the crowd and Cayden released Russell. The victorious shouts turned into ones of outrage as Russell suddenly kicked up the dirt into Cayden’s eyes, temporarily blinding him. Then it was Cayden’s turn to go down as Russell launched himself at him.

  A blinding pain in his shoulder let him know that Russell had got a good bite in. With a snarl Cayden pushed himself to his feet and slammed his body down, landing on top of Russell. With a yelp of pain, the wolf released Cayden’s shoulder.

  Wasting no time, Cayden sunk his teeth into his opponent’s neck and with a heave of his head, swung the wolf across the clearing. Its body landed with a thud and the snap of bones breaking could be heard through his howl of agony.

  As Cayden’s wolf paced over to the prostrated animal, he watched it shift back into the human form of Russell.

  “I call upon my second to fight in my stead.” He called out in panic.

  The crowd growled out its displeasure as the huge man from before entered the circle and carried a moaning Russell to the edge of the ring. Cayden wasn’t surprised the Beta had tapped out. If anything, he had expected him to do so earlier. His black wolf watched as the other wolf sent him an apologetic shrug before shucking off his clothes and shifting into a vast brown timber wolf.

  This wolf was bigger than his own, so it was time to change tactics. Using his immense speed Cayden’s wolf charged at his new opponent and sent it tumbling. Just as he suspected, while this wolf was powerful, he lacked speed.

  The large shaggy wolf shook his head and gathered itself to its feet to face off with Cayden. The two circled each other, looking for their next opening. Cayden noticed that the wolf was giving him ample opportunities. The wolf had no intension of winning the fight.

  The next turn, when the larger wolf showed his back to Cayden, he sprung. The wolf went down easily and submitted.

  Just when he thought it was finally over, Rose’s cry of horror cut through the cheers of the crowd and Cayden felt a sharp blade plunge into his side. He reared back and swiped with his paws, knocking Russell in his human form to the ground.

  The knife jutted out from his side, his blood slowly seeping out as he watched Russell try to scurry to his feet only to be held down by his second. The Beta had overtly broken the rules of the challenge by attacking in human form and with a weapon. The challenge was over. Cayden had won.

  Stay down.

  Cayden sent the command to Russell and watched as he submitted to his influence.

  Soft hands tugged at Cayden’s fur and he looked up to see Rose, desperately trying to inspect his knife wound through his thick pelt. Tears rolled down her face as she looked at him.

  “Cayden, no.” She choked on a sob and threw herself at his head, pulling his face to hers.

  He had so much to say to his mate, but first he needed to address his new pack.

  He nuzzled her gently and gave a soft lick to her tear-stained cheeks, before he backed away from her. With a gut-wrenching howl of pain, Cayden shifted into his human form, the blade still deep within his side, and with a mighty effort he heaved himself to his feet and stood.

  “Darkhills, I, Cayden Greystone, claim the title of Alpha, I vow to protect and uphold our laws and with every action I take as your Alpha, I will strengthen and rebuild this pack to its rightful glory. You will have my loyalty, my dedication and my honour.” His deep voice echoed out among the clearing. Every set of eyes were on him.

  “My first action as your Alpha is to abolish the outdated law that demands that the female Rose Woods mate to secure her place within Darkhills. From this moment she is a full member, and her choice of mate is entirely hers.”

  A loud cheer went up around him and he finally turned to take in the beauty of his mate. Her auburn hair was coming lose from its pins and her mascara had run with her tears, but her eyes shone with joy.

  “What if I want to mate with a Darkhills wolf?” She asked, jutting her chin out in defiance, her hands resting on her hips.

  Sadness struck at his heart with an agony that went beyond what he had endured during the challenge. With a heavy sigh he replied.

  “You may choose whomever you wish, I want only for you to be happy Rose, but please know that I’ll always consider you to be my one true mate.”

  “Good.” She said curtly before throwing herself into his arms.

  A chorus of jubilant howls and cheers went up all around them as Cayden caught her with a surprised grunt of pain as the blade twisted slightly in his side. In that moment he couldn’t care less. Her lips had crashed down onto his and his mate was kissing him with a passion that knew no bounds.

  He growled low in his throat and tangled his fingers in her hair, pulling her tighter against him so he could plunder her mouth with his desperate tongue.

  How did he ever think he could be without her?

  A throat cleared awkwardly beside him, letting Cayden know Lucian had appeared. A wicked thought flitted through his mind as his decided to prolong the snob’s discomfort by taking his time to kiss his mate for a while longer, coaxing her tongue to join his in a languid and sinful dance.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Lucian cursed, and Cayden finally released his mate’s mouth and turned to grin at his friend.

  “Honestly, I will never understand how wolves are so comfortable with exposing their naked bodies. Especially considering your current state of arousal.” Lucian tutted as he circled around Cayden and prodded at his injured shoulder, then bent to inspect the knife buried in his side.

  “My dear Miss Woods, would you mind terribly if I were to ask you to take a step back from Mr. Greystone? Perhaps he would appreciate his clothes? And I wouldn’t want you to risk getting anymore dirt and blood on your friend’s dress.”

  “What makes you think it’s not mine?” Rose asked as she, stepped away slightly affronted.

  “A lady of your colouring would look better in greens and blues; it would highlight those mesmerizing eyes.” Lucian shot her a dashing smile making her instantly blush at the compliment. Cayden growled. “That and it’s approximately six inches too long for you.”

  Rose laughed at that.

  “You’re not wrong there.” She turned and gave Cayden one more soft kiss. “I’ll be back with your clothes; I don’t want the other females getting any ideas.”

  As Cayden watched the gentle sway of her hips as she walked away, he was struck by a searing pain. He turned with a snarl to see Lucian holding up the blade that had been buried in his body not a second before.

  “You could’ve warned me.” He gritted out.

  “And where would the fun have been in that?” Lucian smiled back, his dark eyes glittering as he stowed the blade in his breast pocket.

  Lucian closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate. So, distracted watching his friend, Cayden only realized they were surrounded in a sudden dense fog when Lucian, opened his eyes again.

  “Now then,” Lucian continued, lifting his wrist to his mouth and piercing the flesh with his fangs. Dark, syrupy blood pooled in the wound immediately, “Drink up and you’ll be good as new.” He held his wrist up to Cayden’s lips.

  “No thank you, Lucian.” He shook his head, “I’ve heard of the effects of drinking the blood of your kind and I’d rather not.”

  “I only intend to heal your wounds C
ayden; I have no desire to keep you under my influence.” Lucian rolled his eyes. “But I will respect your wishes.” He lowered his arm.

  “Although, I am surprised. I would’ve thought you would like to be healed in time to see to your lady’s needs tonight. I hear mating isn’t overly impressive when the male is hindered by a stab wound.”

  Cayden snatched up Lucian’s wrist and took a gulp of the warm thick liquid.

  His vision blurred and his entire body felt as though it were on fire as he swallowed down the addictive substance.

  “And that should be enough.” Lucian pulled his wrist away and quickly pulled down his sleeve to cover the mark.

  “Damn.” Cayden cursed as he held up his hand in front of his face and saw everything come into sudden sharp focus as the fog lifted just as quickly as it appeared

  The rest of his senses intensified too, the conversations going on between the pack members became distinct and his nose twitched with the strength of the scents that surrounded him. Above it all, the smell of his mate was like a beacon, calling him home.

  “The effects will wear off in a few hours. Now, I doubt I need to tell you that I am an incredibly private man,”

  “I won’t tell a soul.” Cayden shook himself from his fascinated daze and looked into the endless depth of Lucian’s dark eyes, “You have my word.”

  “Very good.” Lucian said, cheerfully as he prodded at Cayden’s side. “Ah, you see. All better.”

  “Woah, Cayden you’re healed.” Rose said in astonishment having bounded to his side once more. She ran her hands over him, searching for his battle wounds. “What did you do?” She turned curious eyes onto Lucian.

  “I merely removed the blade, my dear. You’ll find that Greystones have exceptional healing abilities.” Lucian smiled, took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. “It’s is time I bid you farewell. It was a pleasure to have met you.”

  “Likewise, Lord Nightingale.” Rose replied, slightly taken aback by his old-world manners.

  “I am assuming you would appreciate it if I were to remove this pathetic excuse for a wolf from your territory?” Lucian cocked a brow.